Chapter Text
A grey rat scurried by Kate's boots and she yelped before slamming the phone booth's door open. The rat hissed at Kate but still sprinted off. Kate watched as it ran onto the other side of the street and captured a sucker from an infant. Kate stared incredulously.
“Bishop?” Kate blinked away from the sniveling child and closed the phone booth's door. She grimaced when the old-as-shit hinge broke. She pulled it in and carefully leaned it against the side so the booth was still kind of private.
This particular phone booth was outside The Tracksuit Mafia's territory, and it was ancient and probably hadn't been used in a decade, so it should be safe. It was Kate's designated line of communication with the office for the next however many months she had to be undercover. Did it count as being undercover if she was technically still her own identity, even if it was altering key aspects? Kate wasn't sure.
Besides the rat, and the busted door, Kate did kind of like the phone booth. It reminded her of this old show she used to watch, though she's pretty sure Dr. Who used a blue phone booth? She didn't really remember.
“Hawkeye!” Kate yelped.
“Ma'am!” She saluted before she realized how stupid she looked and quickly put her hand down. It instead went to mess with the curly phone line. “Yes? Ma'am?” she tacked on.
There was a heavy sigh across the line and Kate envisioned her boss rubbing her forehead. Hill breathed deeply before continuing. “What have you learned so far, Bishop?”
“What have I learned?” Kate leaned back against the booth, quickly standing straight when she heard the old glass crack. “What I've learned, right! Um, well…” What had Kate learned? She had been compiling a list on the subway to get here, but she had gotten distracted. Like she always did…
“I learned that the Vostokoff family is planning to get rid of the Alpha's Club by Rockefeller, though I haven't learned why exactly yet. For the last couple of weeks, month I mean, they've been having me siphon money out of the managers’ accounts. Tomorrow I'll move on to the owners and then they want to ‘destroy’ their partners as well.” It felt weird admitting to her boss that she was committing embezzlement, but oh well.
“I see.” Kate heard the sound of a pen on paper over the line. “What else?”
“What else?” She winced when she heard another heavy sigh.
“What about the family? Your target, Melina, or…Romanoff?” Kate scratched her head.
“Yeah, about that…”
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“Are you almost done?”
Kate repressed a smile and instead let out a small tsk. “Nope.”
“Come onnn,” Yelena moaned, leaning so far back on Kate's desk that, if Kate was an evil soul, she would have been easily knocked over. Kate bit her lip to repress that evil urge. “Natasha's stuff is so boring. I want to go dance!”
Kate sighed. “Then go dance?”
“With you.”
Yelena pressed her raised ankle against Kate's shoulder. Kate hummed. “I don't think that's a very associate-y thing to do.”
“Just because Natasha calls you our associate, doesn't mean you cannot do other things.”
Kate pushed the alpha's leg off of her shoulder. “Like what?”
“Like dance!”
Kate groaned and threw her head back. “No!”
“Why not?”
“Because I'm working!”
“Just take a break!”
“No!”
“Why not?”
Kate was about to rip her hair out. “Because–! Get out of here before I–” She cut herself off and the room went silent. Yelena's eyes darkened and Kate's mouth closed with a click. Yelena leaned down.
“Or you'll what?”
Kate licked her lips, sitting back. The tension between them grew and it was making her feel hot. She wasn't completely sure if Yelena's tone was flirting or a threat. Most likely both. It made Kate's stomach churn and she looked back at her computer. “Or your sister's gonna yell at me.”
“Natalia will not yell at you,” Yelena said as she scooted closer, starting to block Kate's view of her work. Kate frowned.
“Natalia?” Yelena waved away Kate's question.
“That is her name.”
“I thought it was Natasha?” That's what her file said. ‘Natalia’ hadn't been mentioned anywhere.
“It is but Natalia is also her name. Her Russian name.”
“Oh.” Kate scratched her head. “What's your Russian name then?”
“Yelena.” Kate stared. “What? My parents thought it didn't sound too Russian.” Kate ignored how it sounded much more Russian than Natalia did.
“Why would Natasha need an American name? Or why name her Natalia at all?” She watched Yelena shift, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation steering away from them dancing. Kate leaned in closer, resting her elbow on the desk so her breasts just barely brushed Yelena's knee. Yelena huffed.
“She was born in Russia, I wasn't. My parents had me after they had gotten to America, so hiding they were immigrants was less of a worry by the time I was born.” Yelena shifted, her knee pressing softly against Kate's chest.
“Is that why you have an accent and she doesn't?” Kate had been wondering about that. It sort of made sense that the eldest would try to conform while Yelena didn't have to. Not to mention, Natasha's real name and the fact that she had been born in Russia weren't in her file at all. How much did the FBI really know about the Vostokoff family?
“Kate Bishop,” Yelena simpered, her voice low with annoyance shining through. “What does this have to do with me having you swaying in front of me?”
Kate sighed and leaned back in her chair. That was as far as her lackluster seducing abilities would get her, she supposed. So far, Kate felt like she hadn't done a very good job mapping out the people in The Tracksuit Mafia, much less their building. She hadn't exactly been invited, though she supposed she was sort of an associate by now. How much longer until they would consider her ‘family'? Was that even a possibility?
“I'm working.” Kate shrugged. Yelena groaned and threw her head back. Kate smiled and tried to muffle a laugh, which only pissed Yelena off more.
“Do not laugh! There is nothing funny about this.” Kate giggled and Yelena had to repress her own smile. She looked back at Kate's computer and sighed.
“How about in exchange, I get you a mini fridge to store drinks and snacks in for this room?” Yelena smirked when Kate's eyes lit up. While Kate had been trying to use Yelena's weakness against her, it seems Yelena had already found out about hers... Yelena reached for her, but Kate pressed down on the floor and scooted the cheap chair back.
“What kind of drinks?” Kate questioned with a raised eyebrow. Yelena rolled her eyes.
“The non-alcoholic kind you love so much.” Kate hummed in thought but Yelena was already grinning in triumph. Kate lightly sighed and rolled her eyes again.
“Fine.” Yelena hopped off the table and grabbed Kate's hand, pulling her up from the chair. “But!” Kate held a finger up to Yelena's face, almost touching her nose. “Only just a few songs and then I get right back to work. Okay?”
Yelena rolled her eyes with a smile and tugged Kate along. “Yeah, yeah. Come on!” She couldn't hold back a laugh as she let Yelena drag her out of her pseudo office and into the club. Kate's eyes skittered around but they moved too fast for her to get a look at the hallway that led into the club. Kate wondered if she was the only one with an office in the building.
When Yelena opened the door, Kate's vision became engulfed by red. She squinted, her eyes becoming adjusted to the club's lights. The music was loud and there was a wave of cheers as drinks were passed around. Kate still wasn't used to how red the room was. Maybe that was why her team was called the Red Room Task Force.
“Come on!” Yelena grinned, tugging Kate onto the dance floor. A laugh broke past Kate's lips as they pushed themselves into the center of the floor. Her jacket got in the way, the back hitting the people behind her. They went to glare at her, only to quickly avert their eyes when they saw who she was with. Yelena huffed and slid the jacket over Kate's shoulders, her thumb brushing her warm skin before tossing it far over to the lounge. Kate gave her an annoyed look before she was pressed up right against her.
“I like this song,” Yelena murmured. “I always have Sonya play it on nights I am here.”
Kate tuned her ears in. A smile pulled itself on her face when she heard a familiar bass hook. “Crazy in Love by Beyoncé? You're so corny.” She mirrored Yelena movements, their dancing bodies highlighted by the red light. “And aren't you here everyday? I'm sure Club Widow is getting tired of Beyoncé.” Kate had only met Sonya a handful of times, but she could tell that alpha was on close enough terms with Yelena to tell her that.
Yelena laughed, her head falling back and her pretty teeth showing. Her sharp canines looked so enticing. “I am Club Widow!”
Kate watched her dance. “You are, aren't you?” She pressed harder into Yelena, speeding up their movements until they were both lightheaded. Sweat gathered on Kate's temple and her eyes were drawn to Yelena's glistening collar her tank top revealed.
The bass shook the club's black floor as Yelena ran her hands down Kate's sides. Kate stepped closer, her eyes glazing as their chests touched. Her scent drew her in and Kate could tell Yelena was just as taken by her. Their panting and sweat hung between them in a burning mix of heat.
“Isn't this better than sitting at a desk?” Yelena murmured, her voice just audible over the music as her hands directed Kate's hip movements. Her gaze felt hot on Kate's mouth. She hummed to herself. “So much better.”
Kate's eyes darkened and she leaned impossibly closer, her hand resting lightly against Yelena's chest. Lower down, she felt her twitch to attention. “Maybe a little,” she hedged. Her heart raced when Yelena's smile dropped. Her hand tightened on Kate's waist, guiding Kate's hips to the rhythm of the music.
It made Kate feel like prey, like an omega. For once being desired for what she was didn't disgust her.
Unable to hold Yelena's gaze a moment longer, she turned in her grasp and pressed her ass into the alpha's lap. It reminded Kate of the night they met. Yelena made a low noise, almost like a growl, and Kate— “Ah-h,”
Yelena dragged Kate's ass against her hard-on. Her pants had become tented and the bulge was hitting her just right... Kate lowly moaned again and leaned into the touch. She was giving Yelena everything she wanted. “You are so spoiled,” she breathed. She could practically feel Yelena smirk against her neck.
“Spoiled rotten,” Yelena husked, thrusting her hips forward. Just a small jolt and Kate felt her head go fuzzy. Before she could do something stupid, like loudly moan, Yelena spun her around again. Her breath was hot pants against her lips. It made Kate feel like she was melting into a puddle of desire.
“I have a special room here,” Yelena murmured. “Let me take you there.” Kate became lost in her eyes, letting the dark pools drag her in. She let herself become lost.
“Okay…” Yelena took her hand and lightly tugged. Kate followed, entranced in whatever spell this awful woman had put her under. Probably something related to her strong pheromones and how they
wrapped around Kate like a cloud.
They barely made it two steps off the dance floor and into the lounge when three girls swarmed them. Kate flinched, coming out of her trance by the sour scent of the other omegas. Her eyes watered and stopped in her tracks. Yelena already had, all three women practically hanging off her body. They were shorter than Yelena, curvy and hot. Kate suddenly felt out of place, her lanky body standing out like a sore thumb.
“Yelena,” one of the girls moaned. Kate wrinkled her nose. “We've missed you. You haven't spent any time with us lately.” The omega's lip pouted out, her breasts bursting from her top to press against Yelena's arm.
“Don't you miss us too?” another asked, nosing Yelena's shoulder. She didn't dare go too close to the alpha's scent gland. Yelena didn't let anyone directly touch her there. “Let's have some fun in your special room.”
Yelena laughed, her eyes sparkling with lust and humor. One of the women lightly bit her ear and Kate felt bile rise in her throat at the display. “Well, aren't you three eager?”
“Yes, oh my gods.” The three grinned and started tugging on Yelena, looking ready to be taken where Yelena was just about to take Kate. They looked ready to be taken by Yelena.
Kate felt dizzy. All three of them? At once? It must be a common occurrence too, if what the girls were whining about was true. Images of hot bodies coming together, sweat, heat, pheromones. Yelena at the center of it all, a big self-satisfied smirk on her face. At the end of the day she was an alpha. Like all the others were, Kate reminded herself.
“Kate, would you like to join us?” Yelena asked, a relaxed smile on her face, her arms lazily wrapped around the omegas clinging to her. A classic alpha.
Kate hated alphas. She really hated them. She shouldn't have to remind herself.
“Yeah, join us, Kate,” one of the curvy girls called out as her hand caressed Yelena's bicep. Her big eyes were taunting.
Snapping out of her dark thoughts, Kate bristled. She stepped back, a disgusted grimace on her face. She watched that dopey smile fall from Yelena's lips.
“I'm good,” she mumbled. Kate looked around and snagged her jacket off the lounge chair Yelena had tossed it on. That moment felt like a lifetime ago. A moment that reminded her of when Kate was more ignorant to how life was. She didn't look back at Yelena as she left. She didn't look back at her little harem either. Over the music, she heard a pained groan before hurried footsteps caught up to her.
Yelena didn't say anything as she followed Kate back into the hallway out of the club. Kate didn't acknowledge her either. She just strided back towards her little office, her brow furrowed.
Dancing was fun. It had always been fun for Kate. But she should know better than to let fun distract her. Distract her from her mission, her last chance, and the fact that she fucking despised alphas.
She needed to focus, she needed to–
Kate's hand grasped the doorknob just as Yelena's wrapped around hers. Her breath caught in her throat and she turned to come face-to-face with Yelena. Their noses almost touched, their lips just a kiss away. Kate tried ripping her hand away–at least she thought she did–but she practically melted under Yelena's gaze, in her scent. She hated her, Kate really, really hated Yelena, but her scent, her presence, was just so enrapturing. She stayed.
Yelena lightly tugged her.
“I don't want to have sex with you,” Kate hurried out to convince hers–Yelena. To convince Yelena. Yelena smiled and did a small shrug. Sweat still clung to her brow but her burning eyes had calmed.
“You won't ever have to. Let us get you that snack you wanted, okay?” She turned, lightly tugging Kate, who followed. She led Kate towards another room, one she hadn't been in before.
There was a bed, but it was further in the corner, not at the center of attention. Instead there was a cooler, a mini fridge, and a plush looking sofa.
Kate couldn't help but let herself be guided down into the seat while Yelena ruffled around for snacks. Kate had always been a terrible agent. It looks like she was an even worse associate.
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“Yelena's hooked, just like you wanted.” Kate rubbed the back of her neck, soothing the scent gland there. It always got irritated when it was hot out. “Getting closer and closer to her letting me do whatever I want.” Kate just wasn't sure how long she could keep leading her on.
"That's perfect. Good work, Bishop.” Kate smiled, bashfully rubbing her side. She was pretty sure this was the first time she has been complimented directly by her boss.
“What about… the other one? Vostokoff's oldest.”
“Oh! Yeah, I forgot to mention, Natasha's real name is Natalia.” Kate scratched her head, frowning at the sun piercing through the phone booth's glass. “Apparently she wasn't born in America.”
“I meant new information, like what she has been doing since she left the spotlight.” Hill's tone was terse. Kate blinked.
“What?” She looked around the phone booth, noting that no one was around. “What?” she repeated. “That is new information. The documents we had on her listed that she was born after Vostokoff immigrated and there was nothing on Natasha not being her real name.” Kate might not be into super long documents, but she knew her shit. This was new information.
She heard Hill pause. “Right, I… I apologize for that.” Kate had never heard her boss’ voice so… hesitant? There was no other reason for it other than her being surprised an omega talked back to her, but even then Kate knew she wasn't that kind of alpha. “I'll have our team update our system with that information.” There was another pause. “... Is there anything else regarding Melina's eldest?”
Kate leaned back, flinching when the glass cracked again. She quickly stood straight, shaking out the nerves with one arm. “Um, yeah! Yeah, she…” Kate groaned. “She doesn't like me very much.”
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Cheetos. Her mouth tasted like Cheetos.
Kate's eyes opened and she stared at the back of a red cushion. Her vision was blurry and her eyes felt crusty. She looked down and saw a bag of Cheetos sitting in the curve of her stomach where she was curled up on the sofa. She frowned, licking her lips and tasting more Cheetos. She was just about to sit up when a voice spoke up.
“She should be working.” Natasha's voice made Kate want to flee. She didn't sound very amused. Kate tried to keep her breathing even to pretend she was still asleep. She wouldn't be able to actually fall back into slumber, not with Natasha's presence near her. She shouldn't have been able to while Yelena was next to her. That had been a mistake she wouldn't repeat.
“She was.” Yelena's voice was light. It came from above Kate. She must have been sitting on the arm of the sofa. “We were only taking a break.”
“Yelena.” Natasha sounded beyond irritated. “I know you aren't super into modernizing things but we can't keep doing this the way we have been. It's time to upgrade, and when Kate's finished with the Alpha's Club, that's what we're going to do with the spoils.”
“... Is the old way so bad?”
“Is it so bad to be there for Wanda?”
Who was Wanda?
“... No, of course not, сестра. You are right.”
“I always am.” There was a light chuckle and more movement. “So no more distracting Kate.”
“I will try my best.”
“I mean it,” Natasha growled. Kate's nose wrinkled at the blast of pissed off pheromones coming from the alpha. She curled up tighter, trying not to give away that she was awake. She was scared to be on the receiving end of Natasha's ire.
A hand started to play with her hair, soothing her. “Okay, сестра. I will not let her get off track.” Kate felt a finger rub behind her ear. “Everything will be ready before they arrive.” Who were ‘they’ and what had to be ready? There was a pause. The prolonged silence made Kate start to sweat.
“Don't be too soft on her. She's still a stranger.” She heard Yelena laugh at her sister's words.
“You know me, Tasha. I am just having fun. I am not soft on her.” She made a low chuckle. “If anything, I am har–”
“Okay,” Natasha snapped. Kate felt a burning gaze on the back of her body. She was glad she was facing the inside of the sofa. “I don't trust her.”
“Mama does.” Natasha scoffed.
“Mama doesn't trust her.” Natasha made a noise of irritation when Yelena laughed. The caressing hand left Kate's hair.
“Okay, okay! Mama just likes her, that doesn't mean she trusts her. You are right, again. But like you said, we need her.”
“We might need her but I'll have no problem ordering him to take care of her if I think for even a moment that her intentions aren't true.” Kate's skin prickled in goosebumps and she repressed a scared whimper. She had to hold her breath and reel in her scent. Who was ‘he’? Were they talking about Alexei or some other man?
“If she put our family in danger, that old man wouldn't have anything left to take apart.”
Well shit.
Natasha left not long after that. Kate had only just begun her count to six hundred seconds, how long she thought it would be appropriate to wait to ‘wake up’, when she felt a hand in her hair again. It slid through her soft strands of black hair, circling behind her ear, before coming down to her jaw. Kate's eyes blinked open when head was tilted up.
“It is time to wake up,” Yelena murmured. “The Widow is closed.”
“Mm?” Kate sat up, rubbing her eyes. She kept her breathing calm and natural, even as her heart raced. She forced herself to meet Yelena's eyes. They looked scarier than they had before. “Am I not allowed to work when it's closed?” She wouldn't know, she had always finished before then.
“No,” Yelena said. She stood and stretched her arms above her head. Even with her tongue heavy in fear of the alpha, Kate's eyes still lowered to her exposed lower belly. There was a faint happy trail there and for a second, before she angrily bit her tongue, she wondered how far it went down. “You are not allowed to be here when no one else is.”
“Hiding something here?” Kate immediately regretted her question when Yelena's eyes narrowed and her arms lowered. Kate's face heated and she looked away, baring her neck like a submissive idiot. “Sorry–I was just making a joke.” The weight on her shoulders lifted slightly when she heard the alpha chuckle. She looked back to see Yelena putting away the bag of Cheetos.
“Try not to make those jokes around my family. Got it?”
“Capiche.”
“Caposhe,” Yelena responded. Kate raised an eyebrow and Yelena simply shrugged. “What? That is always what my papa says.”
“Your papa?”
“My idiot of a father.” Yelena fondly rolled her eyes at the thought of her sire and helped Kate off the sofa. “Now let us get you home.”
Kate wrinkled her nose. “I'll just take the subway.” She didn't like the idea of a mafia heiress coming to her apartment– “Wait, you know where I live?” Yelena laughed again and Kate frowned.
“Of course I do, зайчонок.”
“What did you just call me?” Kate shook her head and groaned. “Of course you know where I live…” she met Yelena's eyes, “creep.”
She watched Yelena's gaze darken. She looked at Kate a moment longer before lightly scoffing. “Come, we will go to 480 Park Avenue.”
“So fucking creepy.”
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“Do you believe you can ensure she has no reason to distrust you?”
“Yelena?” Kate didn't think she had given her a reason to distrust her yet, aside from how awkward she could be. And that stupid joke she had made. Kate wasn't sure what she had been thinking when she said it.
“Natasha.” The name sounded so weird on Hill's tongue. Like, the way she pronounced it was weird. Natasha. Natasha. Not like it was said wrong, but it sounded different than how anyone else had said– “Bishop, I swear to–”
“Right, right, sorry!” Looks like Kate had pushed the barrier of Hill's patience. For Kate Bishop, it was a miracle that this was only the first time it had happened. “Yes, ma'am. I'll make sure she doesn't suspect anything. I won't give her a reason to.”
“Good.” Hill heaved a sigh and Kate could all but feel her stress leaking through the phone. “That's all you have for me?”
“Yep,” Kate popped the p. “I'm making good progress, I promise. Hell, we might be done before a whole year.” Kate beamed, doing her best to ooze self confidence through the sticky pay phone. “My guess is nine months.”
“Nine months, huh?” There was a teasing lilt to Hill's voice. It felt kind and that in itself was disarming. “That would be pretty fast.”
“Right? Well, a whole baby could be born in nine months but–”
“You aren't planning to get knocked up, are you Bishop?” Hill tsked. “That would make the mission a whole lot harder. Well, unless Belova has a thing for that.”
Kate laughed, surprised that her boss was joking with her. “I would hope not! There's a negative chance of that happening, especially not… with her.”
“I take it you're not a fan of your target?” Kate was about to lean against the glass again before she, for once, thought better of it. Instead her finger twirled the curly line of the phone again. It was weird, talking like this with her boss.
“She's a player, sex obsessed.” Kate shook her head. “And she's in the mafia. That's not exactly a good crowd.” She toed her shoe into the floor of the booth. “She's an alpha.”
Hill was quiet for a moment. Kate almost apologized but she didn't. Hill was one of the few people who knew… who was informed on… Her boss didn't know everything, but she understood Kate on a certain level, even if it wasn't the full truth. She also wasn't the kind of alpha to get offended easily. She was calm, kind.
“Stay safe, alright?” Kate smiled.
“Getting soft for me, boss?” She heard a low chuckle over the line.
“Don't push your luck, Bishop. I need you to stay safe so we can get this mission done. When did you say? Nine months, right?” Kate gulped.
“Well, I just meant nine months is a possibility if everything goes well–”
“Then we'll make sure everything is clean on our end, and you will do the same on yours.” Kate heard the shuffling of papers. “All good?”
Kate nodded, even though Hill couldn't see her. “All good.” She hoped.
“Thought I should mention your handler says hi.” Kate chuckled.
“No she didn't.” Hill hummed, more papers being shuffled. Was that the sound of a candy wrapper being opened?
“No, but I could tell she's thinking about you.” That made Kate smile. Her and Valentina didn't have the best relationship, but it was still Kate's closest one all the same.
“Tell her I said hi then.”
“I'll see what I can do.” Kate rolled her eyes when the phone beeped. She put it back into its holder and turned to leave. Instead of going through the broken door however, she ran right through the glass wall, fully shattering it.
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Kate nervously messed with the Band-Aid on her arm as she entered the club. Night had fallen, which meant it was packed and as red as ever. With heavy bags under her eyes, she went to the bar first. She leaned heavily against it. “Hey, Ana.”
“Miss Bishop.” Ana's lip curled in a tame smile as she swung a rag over her shoulder. “The usual?”
“Yep,” Kate said as she rested her chin on her crossed arms, a small barrier between her and the table. She watched Ana pull out one of the nicer glasses and fill it with ice. The tall beta hummed to herself as she held it under the tap until it was full.
“One fresh glass of water, Miss Bishop.”
“Why thank you, Ana.” Kate winked and sipped from her glass. She had gotten sort of used to being called Miss Bishop. So far Ana was the only person who called her it, but it wasn't so bad. When Kate had asked why, Ana had offhandedly said it was because she was ‘Yelena's girl’. That had really pissed Kate off. Like, really, really pissed her off. She gave Yelena the cold shoulder for a whole day. Well, almost a whole day. What? Was she supposed to turn down going to the casino's seafood buffet again? Whatever.
“Better get to work,” Ana teased. Kate rolled her eyes.
“Me or you?”
“Both.” The beta winked. Kate rolled her eyes again, harder this time. Still, a smile lifted her lips.
“Then you better stop flirting.”
Kate and Ana froze. Kate bit her lip and watched the tall woman in front of her pale. Ana swallowed hard, sweat comically gathering on her brow as she leaned back, far away from Kate. She bared her neck, not meeting Natasha Romanoff's gaze.
“Yes, ma'am.” Kate almost laughed at how it reminded her of herself and her own boss, but all the humor was quickly taken away when Natasha turned to her. She raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Kate's various Band-Aids.
“And what building did you fall off of?”
“A tall one, apparently,” Kate muttered. Natasha's eyes narrowed and she stared at Kate for an uncomfortably long time before sighing.
“Don't let my sister see you.” Kate bit back a sparky reply. She hated alphas. She hated alphas so much. So controlling. Think they're entitled to her actions, her time. They were all the same. Natasha, Yelena, even Hill. Betas were no different. They all thought they could just do whatever they wanted, order omegas how they see fit. Pull her by her puppet strings and be patted on the back by their peers.
“I'll do my best.” Kate pushed away from the bar. She didn't look back at Natasha or Ana as she stalked off to her office room. Her computer room. Whatever.
Natasha probably just didn't want Kate to let Yelena see her because Yelena was distracting her from her work, but that made Kate even angrier. Kate could have that annoying fly buzz around her all she wanted, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to get her work done. She would finish the accounts, finish this mission, and she'd be done with these awful alphas forever.
Then she would be free to go back to her actual life, the one she loved. Going on normal missions, taking out bad guys in the normal way. She would be… She would be a normal girl for once in her life. She wouldn't mess up her missions after this. Her colleagues would actually look up to her. Her bosses would respect her. Not a single person would think she was too much. Not after she pulled this off.
Kate would be who she's always wanted to be. She just couldn't mess this up. She wouldn't.
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With one final click of her shitty keyboard, Kate turned her computer off.
“Gods,” Kate moaned, leaning back in her chair. Her back managed to pop but her chair almost tipped over. In her frantic attempt to not fall, she accidentally bit her tongue. With a pitiful whine, she pressed her face into her hands. Her whole body hurt. She just wanted to go home. And eat her pizza. Cold, stale pizza. She was getting really tired of pizza.
“Kate Bee-shop!" Yelena sang merrily as she entered the small tan room. Kate rolled her eyes and didn't turn to look at the alpha. For a mafia heiress, she sure was cheerful. Still, her attitude didn't diminish the horrific implications that one night at the casino told Kate. “Let's go dancing! You are done, correct?”
“I think I'm just gonna go home for the night.” Kate stared at herself in the dark reflection of her turned off monitor screen. She shouldn't talk so casually, it wasn't very sexy. “I'll just get naked and into bed.” Okay, that didn't sound sexy either. Can you really blame Kate? She had always been bad at this, and she was feeling anxious after her meeting with Hill. It was like at any moment, Vostokoff herself will barge into the room, revealing that she had heard Kate's secret conversation.
She saw Yelena pause through the reflection on the screen. Yelena cleared her throat. “You sleep naked?”
“Is that such a strange concept?” Kate turned around, seeing Yelena's gaze on the carpet, her eyes glazed. She looked lost in thought, or a vivid imagination, and Kate had a feeling she knew where her mind had gone.
“No, I do too.” Her lips curled up into a smirk and she looked up at Kate. “In fact, I think that means we are pretty compatible in the bedroom–” Yelena came to a halt, her eyes narrowing when she finally took Kate in. “Who did this to you?”
Kate swallowed and looked down at all the bandages on her arms, a couple on her cheeks. Bashfully, her face flushed. “I did.” She cleared her throat, looking away. “Not on purpose, I just ran through a glass wall.” Yelena's shoulders relaxed, even as her brows stayed furrowed.
“How on Earth did you manage that?” She shook her head. “First the cut nose and now all these? Such a reckless omega.” Kate frowned.
“I'm not reckless.” She was. “And I told you not to call me that.”
“What!” Yelena's eyes widened and she threw her arms up in exasperation. “I didn't use it instead of your name. You can't get mad at me for saying it, it is what you are!”
“Still,” Kate grumbled, her nose wrinkling. Through her lashes, she saw Yelena's head tilt. She slowly examined Kate.
“It is not a bad word.”
“I know that,” Kate said in a whisper. She knew it wasn't a bad word. She knew that.
Yelena looked at her for a moment longer before nodding. “Well, let's get you home then, hm?”
Kate sighed and turned back around in her chair. She grabbed her purse off the desk and stood. “I can get myself home, thanks.” Still, she handed Yelena her bag who gladly took it and led her to the door.
“Kate Bishop,” Yelena simpered in her ear. Kate shivered. “You do not even have a driver's license. Why shouldn't I take you home?”
“That–!” Kate groaned, glaring at the alpha when she rubbed her back soothingly. “I don't want one.”
“Sure you don't.” Kate growled and stomped away. She heard Yelena's low chuckle before she followed after Kate. “Come, зайчонок.”
“What does that mean!”
○●○●
●○●○
Yelena had only driven Kate back to her apartment once. That time, she had simply dropped her off outside, not without making a very illicit suggestion. Kate had refused to let her in of course. Yelena had only rolled her eyes and chuckled before wishing her a good night.
“Hmm,” Yelena hummed, her head ducking low to look through her car's windshield. “There seems to be a homeless man outside your door.” She smacked her lips. “Well, looks like we'll have to wait in here until he leaves. I have an idea of what we can do until then.” Yelena smirked and unbuckled her seatbelt before climbing over the center console. She framed Kate's body, a mirthful gleam in her eyes.
“Right,” Kate dryly laughed. Her fingers skimmed over Yelena's jacket, playing with the zipper. “You're always full of good ideas, aren't you?”
Yelena didn't say anything. She just licked her lips, her eyes darkening as she gazed down at Kate. Finally, she murmured, “I haven't even begun to get ideas.”
“You're getting your dirty shoes all over your nice Mercedes-Benz S-Class.” Yelena grinned, her eyebrow raised in curiosity.
“You like cars?”
Kate shrugged. “I love cars.” She had grown up being driven around in a variety of them. Her favorite had been her father's Rolls-Royce Phantom. It had just felt so fancy to her back then. Yelena's breath tickled her nose.
“Yet you do not want a license?”
“Oh–you jerk!” Kate pretended to slam her fists into the giggling alpha's shoulders. “And you're giggling? Giggling!” Yelena's lips twisted up as she tried not to laugh further. She failed tremendously. “You're an ass,” Kate whispered. But so were all alphas.
“That is true. But you like that about me, don't you?” Yelena licked her lips. “I see you stare at it often.” Kate let out a quiet gasp, her cheeks flushing.
“I do not stare at your–!” Kate threw her head back. Not that it went very far, not with the headrest there. She was still so close to Yelena. “I do not stare at your ass.”
“You are a terrible liar, Kate Bishop.” Yelena's eyes sparkled. “It is cute.”
Kate melted into the seat, sighing lightly as she gazed up at Yelena. “I am.” She was such an awful liar. It was a miracle she had even made it this far.
Yelena licked her lips once more before slowly leaning in. Kate's gaze drifted to the window. The homeless man was now fighting with a fat raccoon. Should she go help him? It looked like the raccoon was winning…
“I should go to bed," Kate murmured. Yelena froze, her lips barely just an inch from Kate's. Her breath smelt faintly of cigarettes and it was so unfortunately sexy. Kate felt dizzy.
“Then let me walk you in.” Yelena's hand raised and caressed her jaw. Her thumb touched Kate's plumb bottom lip. Kate resisted the urge to open her mouth for her. Instead she breathed and attempted to look away. She couldn't.
“Mm, you're starting to make me think you actually care about me,” Kate murmured. Her eyes darkened through her lashes as her lip was played with.
“Gods forbid,” Yelena husked. She licked her lips before leaning in. Her mouth was met by Kate's soft palm. Kate watched those beautiful green eyes flicker open, the hazel specs inside glimmering in the street light.
“Nice try, alpha,” she lightly teased. She kissed the back of her hand, opposite to where Yelena was, making Yelena's eyes widen. She opened her door. “Goodnight.”
Yelena watched as Kate left her, the front door to her apartment complex swinging closed. She laughed to herself, her mouth curved into a surprised smile. “I have never met an omega like her.”